Almost a year to the day from when it opened, Rooster in Clayton (178 Carondelet Plaza) is closing. The restaurant announced the news in an Instagram post, citing the strong headwinds in the current economic climate as the reason for its closure. The restaurant’s last service will be next Sunday, October 26.
The restaurant’s post announcing the closure reads: “Despite our best efforts, the current economic climate has presented challenges that we, like many others, could not overcome. The lasting impact of COVID, rising costs of goods, and increased rents have made it difficult to sustain operations at this location.”
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The brand’s two other locations—Rooster South Grand and Rooster Downtown—remain open, as do the Baileys Restaurant Group’s concepts Bailey’s Range in Shaw, Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar downtown, Willow events, and Bailey’s Chocolate Bar in Lafayette Square. According to co-owner Dave Bailey, the Clayton restaurant’s closure will allow the restaurant group to refocus its resources on the restaurants that are thriving.
“We have to think of all of the restaurants as something together but also all of them as separate,” says Bailey. “Because of that, this is the call we had to make—do we continue to float Clayton on the backs of our other locations that are doing better? We decided the answer was no and that this had to stand on its own two feet.”
The Clayton Location and Closure
Dave and Kara Bailey opened Rooster’s Clayton location last October in the former home of White Box Eatery in Carondelet Plaza. Their first restaurant concept outside of St. Louis’ city limits, the Clayton Rooster was a sprawling, 165-seat space that was meant to fill the void of daytime eateries in the municipality.
According to Bailey, he expedited the business density and walkability of Clayton to be good for business, but, to his surprise, it just never did the numbers it needed to sustain itself. “We thought it would be a great location and that it would allow us to have more of a regional reach,” Bailey says. “But the volume just wasn’t there; we were doing about half of what we are doing downtown.”
Bailey also cites the high costs of goods as a contributing factor to the Clayton location’s closure. “Prices only go up; they don’t correct,” Bailey says. “We always feel like we need to be at an appropriate price point, so getting that math to work out has been really tricky.”
In the background of Rooster’s closure are two lawsuits brought against Second Street Sandwiches, the LLC tied to Baileys’ Restaurants, by its landlord, Clayton-Franklin Clayton Plaza LLC. In the suit, filed in July, the landlord alleges that Second Street Sandwiches failed to pay its full rent from August 2024 through June 9, 2025 and owes the firm nearly $200,000; it seeks full payment and legal fees. The second suit seeks payment, as well as possession of the building.
Additionally, Second Street Sandwiches was sued earlier this year by another landlord, Rothschild Management, Inc., for unpaid rent for a location in the Central West End (the former home of Wildflower Cafe) that never opened. Rothschild Management received a judgment of $137,680, representing back rent and fees.
Asked about the lawsuits and whether they had any effect on the decision to close the Clayton Rooster, Bailey stated, “It’s not the reason we are closing up. We can’t match sale to rent.”
He added that taking care of his employees has always been his priority. “We always pay our staff first,” says Bailey, who said he and his LLC are in the process of resolving the current cases and that they will be “worked out.”
The Backstory
The Baileys opened their first Rooster location in downtown St. Louis in 2006, and it quickly became one of the city’s biggest names in daytime dining. Originally beloved for its delectable signature crepes, Rooster grew into a full-fledged breakfast restaurant, complete with creative cocktails. The Baileys opened a second location on South Grand in 2014. As Rooster grew, so did Baileys’ Restaurants, at one point boasting six brands, as well as catering and events operations.
Earlier this year, the Baileys closed their popular Midtown vegetarian restaurant, Small Batch, citing similar economic difficulties. While Bailey understands that there is chatter when two restaurants in the same restaurant group close in such a close timeframe, he is bullish about Baileys’ Restaurants’ future. He points out that both the downtown and South Grand Rooster locations are thriving; downtown’s business is particularly strong, thanks to sustained tourism. He also says the brand is leaning into its catering and events business, Willow, which is where he and his team hope to put continued focus.
“People always ask why I am so calm, and it’s because I’m just not a cynical person,” Bailey says. “Making a choice to open a restaurant and finding out that the location isn’t supporting the overall financials is disappointing—but we have other spaces that are working, that will continue to work, and that can be places where our employees can continue to thrive.”
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated from an earlier version.
